Treatment

Treatment may not be necessary in mild cases of fungal nail infection. For more severe or troublesome cases, antifungal medication may be recommended.

A fungal nail infection is unlikely to get better without treatment, but if you're not bothered by it you might decide it's not worth treating because treatment can take a long time, may cause side effects, and isn't always effective.

Whether or not you decide to have treatment, you should still follow the self-help advice below to help stop the condition getting worse or spreading to others.

Things you can try

The advice below may be helpful if you have a fungal nail infection:

• keep yourhands and feetclean and dry
• wear well-fitting shoes made of natural materials and clean cotton socks thesewill allow your feet to "breathe"
• clip your nails to keep them short use a separate pair of clippers or scissors for the infected nail
• don't share towels and socks with other people, and ensure your towels are washed regularly
• don't walk around barefootin public pools, showers, and locker rooms specialshower shoes are available to protect your feet
• consider replacing old footwearas it could be the source of the infection
• treat athlete's foot as soon as possible to avoid the infection spreading to your nails

If you stop takingthe medication too early, the infection may return.

Possible side effects of antifungal tablets can include Headaches , itching, diarrhoea , loss of sense of taste, and a rash.

Antifungal nail paint

If you prefer not to take antifungal tablets, your GP or pharmacist may suggest you try antifungal nail paint instead.

Nail paint isn't generally considered to be as effective as tablets because it can be difficult for it to reach the deeper layers of the nail. However, it doesn't usually cause any side effects.

Like antifungal tablets,antifungal nail paint alsonormally needs to be used for several monthsto ensure that the infection has cleared up.

Results of treatment

Antifungal treatments are thought to be effective in treating about 60-80% of fungal nail infections.It can take between six and 18 months for the appearance of the affected nail to return to normal, and in some cases the nail may not look the same as before the infection.

If the treatment is working, you should see a new healthy nail start to grow from the base of nail over the course of a few months. The old infected nail should begin to grow out and can be gradually clipped away.

Speak to your GP if new, healthy nail doesn't start to grow after a few weeks of treatment. Keep using the treatment until your GP says you can stop, as stopping too early could result in the infection returning.

Softening and scrapingaway the nail

As it can take a long time for antifungalmedication to work, some people may prefer to use a treatment that involves softening and removing infected parts ofnail over a few weeks.

Treatment kits are availablefrom pharmacies thatcontain a 40% urea paste, plastersand a scraping device. The paste softens the infected parts of the nail, allowing them to be scraped away so they can be gradually replaced with healthy nail.

To use the treatment:

• wash the affectedarea and dry it thoroughly
• carefully apply the paste to theinfectednails
• cover the nails with plasters and leave them for 24 hours
• wash the paste off the next day and scrape away the softened parts of the nail
• repeat this process eachday for two to three weeks

Once no more infected parts of the nail can be removed, ask your pharmacist for antifungal nail paint to prevent re-infection as the nail regrows overthe next few months.

Removing the nail

A procedure to remove affected nails completely isn't usually necessary, but may be recommended ifthe infection is severe or painful and other treatments haven't helped.

If your nail is surgically removed, a new nail should eventually grow back in its place. However, it could take a year or more for the nail to grow back completely.

Lasertreatment

Laser treatment is a possible option if you have a fungal nail infection that'sparticularly stubborn. The laser emits high doses of light energy, which are used to destroy the fungus.

Early research suggests the treatment may be helpful in treating fungal nail infections, but there's currently not enoughevidence to recommend it as a routine treatment.

If you want to try laser treatment, you'll have to pay for it privately because it's not available on the NHS. Be aware that the treatment may need to be repeated several times for up to a year, so it could get very expensive.